The present invention is directed to a disk launcher, and more specifically to a hand held disk launcher having flexible means thereon cooperating with the disk to impart a spinning motion to the disk upon release from the launcher when the hand held launcher is subjected to a snapping or whipping action.
The use of hand held launchers having a target trap thereon for launching clay pigeon targets is old and well known in the trap shooting art. Such devices are generally complicated in construction and are comprised of a relatively large number of parts which are interconnected together with suitable springs or resilient members in order to hold the disk in position during the initial throwing action and to impact a spinning action to the disk as it is released from the launcher.
A typical prior art construction as shown in the Camp U.S. Pat. No. 1,700,880, has a resilient portion mounted thereon having a curved extension for receiving a stepped target disk. An arm is pivotally mounted on the resilient portion in opposition to the extension and is spring biased towards the extension in order to hold the disk between the pivoted arm and the extension. A rubber member is mounted at the outermost end of the pivoted arm and is maintained in engagement with the disk so that upon imparting a whipping motion to the launching device, the spring biased pivoted arm will be forced away from the extension, due to the centrifugal force acting on the disk, thereby allowing the disk to leave the launcher. As the disk leaves the launcher, it will be frictionally engaged with a rubber collar, whereby a spinning action will be imparted t the disk.
A similar hand operated target projecting device is also disclosed in the Reed U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,438. However, in Reed, a curved resilient arm is mounted in opposition to the extension of the handle member in order to hold the target disk therebetween. The outermost end of the resilient arm is provided with a spring clip 13 which frictionally engages the top and bottom surfaces of the disk so that upon launching the disk, a spinning movement will be imparted to the disk.
Another type of hand held launcher for clay pigeons is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,004 to Huelskamp. The launcher is formed of a single piece of resilient plastic material. The arms of the head portion have flanges which encircle the clay pigeon and engage it on its outermost circumference. The flanges are symmetrical so that the launchers can be inverted for launching clay pigeons equally well with either the right hand or the left hand. The launcher is formed with a first or trailing arm which extends outwardly and laterally away from a neck portion. The shape of the first arm adjacent the neck portion is curved for a short distance and the remainder of the first arm is substantially straight. A second arm forms another part of the head portion and is substantially curved over its entire length. The arms define a substantially circular opening therebetween for receiving the clay pigeon. The arms surround more than 50% of the clay pigeon when located in a fully seated position in the launcher.
A plastic hand held disk launcher is also disclosed in Applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,595 granted Mar. 15, 1988. The disk launcher is comprised of a handle, a relatively flat open lightweight head extending outwardly from one end of the handle, disk engaging means disposed along one edge of the head on one side of the axis of the handle and projecting perpendicular to the plane of the head an equal distance on opposite sides of said plane. A curved resilient arm extends outwardly from the head on the opposite side of the axis with portions of the arm projecting on opposite sides of the plane of the head for gripping a disk between the resilient arm and the projection means on either side of the head. Engaging means are formed on the free end of the arm and are adapted to cooperate with complementary engaging means on a disk for engaging the disk and imparting a spinning action to the disk as the disk leaves the launcher under the action of centrifugal force. Additional means may be provided on the arm for adjusting the flexibility and resiliency of the arm.